First Australian Dedicated 3D Tissue-Printing Institute, To Be Unveiled In 2017

Herston Health Precinct will host the first 3D tissue-printing institute “in-house”. There, researchers and doctors will unite their forces to develop tech to model and print tissue #todaymagic

The facility will take up two of the hospital’s floors. There, 3D printers will be able to print tissue needed in operating rooms, (hopefully) on the go: “Our vision for healthcare is that the biofabrication institute will pave the way for 3D printers to sit in operating theaters, ready to print tissue as needed, in our hospitals of the future,” said Australian Minister of Health Cameron Dick.

Biofabrication will be useful for developing cartilage and bone from materials that dissolve as the patient’s own tissue heals. This way, patients are not forced to live with metallic implants in them. The next step for 3D tissue-printing is to make an implant from a human’s own cells that the body won’t reject. The moment a surgeon needs a viable organ for a critical patient, he won’t be looking for a transplant or a temporary 3D fix, but an organ exactly as the one the patient originally had.